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Wine Type Vintage Name Variety Locale Date Posted Score Helpful Comments Comment Date Community Score More...
Red

2015 Jacques Antoine Toublanc Bourgueil

 Cabernet Franc more
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12/19/2020 - pjaines Likes this wine: NR

Where the hell did this come from? out of nowhere like a sneaky little unexpected guest, this is now one of the best wines I've had this year. Regal, elegant, it just got better and better as it unwound. At first tight and very much at the "chiselled from rock" end of the spectrum, it slowly unfurled to show whisps of black fruit and tannins that pulled off the trick of being there, but not being there. Schrodinger's Tannins. The drive and focus of the wine is stunning - it is neither fruit bomb, nor austere, neither mature, nor old. It just exists in its own space-time continuum. If you could plot out its taste and smell on a graph then it would be narrow but deep - there is no waste here. God, I only purchased one bottle. I rushed back across London today for their last bottle this morning. "Sorry, it has gone". My heart cracked.

  • Comment posted by davestenton:

    12/20/2020 2:50:00 AM - Theatre of Wine in Tufnell Park had stock a couple of days ago — might be worth calling them
Red

2009 Dominio de Tares Bierzo Cepas Viejas

 Mencía more
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9/25/2013 - davestenton wrote: NR

The Dirty Dozen Tasting 2013 (Il Botaccio, London): Blue fruit and vanilla oak. Surprisingly fresh and mineral on the palate (cf. previous vintages) with good depth of fruit and the oak well integrated. 17/20.

  • Comment posted by davestenton:

    1/7/2014 1:47:00 AM - Hi Harley: my surprise was that this specific wine showed as fresh and mineral; previously I've found the Cepas Viejas a little too oaky/extracted for my tastes. I'll edit the note to make this a little clearer.

  • Comment posted by davestenton:

    1/7/2014 3:30:00 AM - Hi Harvey: we're pretty well stocked with Bierzo wines in London - although, personally, I tend to prefer the fresher style of mencia from Ribeira Sacra. Your reference to a 'crisis' is interesting; I wasn't aware of that and assumed it was a region that was doing well - it's certainly talked about a lot in the wine media.

  • Comment posted by davestenton:

    1/7/2014 5:26:00 AM - Thanks for the tip - will keep an eye out for them.

    Looks like Berry Bros have some Dom. Lamarche available by the bottle.

  • Comment posted by davestenton:

    1/7/2014 5:51:00 AM - Yes, Berry Bros = BBR. Good luck tracking down a bottle!
Red

2004 Château Cantemerle

 Haut-Médoc Red Bordeaux Blend more
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6/30/2013 - davestenton wrote: NR

The Sampler Summer Tasting 2013 (The Sampler, South Kensington): Dark fruit with a slightly roasted quality on the nose. Then a lovely fresh palate with some dusty tannins. Classic claret. 16.5/20.

  • Comment posted by davestenton:

    6/30/2013 2:26:00 PM - Hi Harley: that window looks about right to me - although if I had some bottles I might be tempted to try one slightly earlier, say mid-2016
Red

2001 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904

 Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more
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6/6/2013 - davestenton wrote: NR

Roberson Spanish Walkabout Tasting (Roberson, High Street Kensington, London): Cherry, vanilla and (unusually for Rioja?) limestone. Sweet entry. Much finer - and riper - tannin. Taut and focussed. A little tart but it should ease off. Fresh and elegant. 16.5+/20. 2016+

  • Comment posted by davestenton:

    6/14/2013 12:10:00 AM - Hi Harley:

    I use this scale (taken from JancisRobinson.com):

    20 - Truly exceptional
    19 - A humdinger
    18 - A cut above superior
    17 - Superior
    16 - Distinguished
    15 - Average, a perfectly nice drink with no faults but not much excitement

    If there's a + that means I think the wine will improve once it reaches its drinking window.

  • Comment posted by davestenton:

    6/14/2013 2:04:00 AM - I actually gave all three wines slightly different scores: Ardanza 04 is 16+, so potentially a 16.5 (by 2015). I rated the 904 2001 16.5+, so potentially 17 (by 2016). And I scored the 890 1995 16.5 as I don't see it improving.

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